KWYE
Encyclopedia
KWYE is a radio station
located in the Fresno, California
, area that airs an Adult Top 40 music format. The station is owned by Peak Broadcasting.
In September, 1992, the callsign was changed to KSXY. Despite the obvious connotation of "Sexy" implied by that callsign, station management initially insisted that they were NOT meaning to imply "Sexy" by that choice of callsign. For about six months, the airstaff read the call letters as K-S (pause) X-Y. After that time, the station nickname was changed to "Sexy 101.1".
Sexy 101.1 lasted until Headliner Broadcasting sold the station to EBE Broadcasting, who owned KNAX and KFRE-AM. The new owners changed the format of KSXY to country. They heralded the format change by playing nothing but Garth Brooks music under the "101.1 K-Garth" name. After that stunt had run its course, "Froggy Country 101.1" KRBT took over the frequency. Froggy Country was a satellite format and did not make much of a ratings impact in the Fresno market.
When the station was sold to Infinity Broadcasting, owners of KSKS, the format was changed to a Modern A/C format with the nickname of "Star 101". The callsign was changed to KVSR at that time. Star 101 was successful until KTHT changed format to "Alice
", which gave them some competition. Both stations competed with the format until Star 101 threw in the towel, becoming Y 101 sometime in 2002. As Y-101, they fired most of their air staff and began a new on-air campaign changing to a top 40 format and branding themselves as y101 #1 for all the hits, hiring a whole new staff of DJ's and starting a new morning show called y101 Morning Zoo.
On December 13, 2006 new owners Peak Broadcasting pulled the plug on KWYE's Top 40 format for Adult Contemporary, billing themselves as the place for "Today's Hits, Yesterday Favorites." The reason for this might have to do with Fresno/Hanford/Visalia radio market already being saturated with two other Top 40s, Rhythmic rivals KBOS and KSEQ
. Although KWYE maintained good ratings in the market, it wasn't enough to overtake the Rhythmics, especially in a market with a large Hispanic
population.
Recently, KWYE has tweaked its format to include more current hits, dropping the hits from the 70's from their playlist, and changing their slogan to "80's, 90's, Now." In Mid-April 2009, KWYE segued into a Modern AC format, and once again appears to be challenging crosstown rival KALZ (the aforementioned Alice).
Radio station
Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...
located in the Fresno, California
Fresno, California
Fresno is a city in central California, United States, the county seat of Fresno County. As of the 2010 census, the city's population was 510,365, making it the fifth largest city in California, the largest inland city in California, and the 34th largest in the nation...
, area that airs an Adult Top 40 music format. The station is owned by Peak Broadcasting.
History
The original callsign for 101.1 FM was KCIB at a different frequency of 94.5. It began as a religious FM station, later switching to middle-of-the-road music using the call letters KFIG. KCIB was co-located in Clovis at a sight shared with KXQR-FM and KAIL TV 53. In late 1969, the format was changed to an "underground" album rock format patterned after San Francisco's KMPX. This format lasted until the late 1970s, when the format was changed to Adult Contemporary, "Mellow Music". In 1984, the station adopted the "Yes/No Radio" format, where several times a day KFIG would play a song and invite listeners to call in and vote on whether or not KFIG should continue playing that song. After the "Yes/No Radio" format was retired, the station went back to being a regular Adult Contemporary station.In September, 1992, the callsign was changed to KSXY. Despite the obvious connotation of "Sexy" implied by that callsign, station management initially insisted that they were NOT meaning to imply "Sexy" by that choice of callsign. For about six months, the airstaff read the call letters as K-S (pause) X-Y. After that time, the station nickname was changed to "Sexy 101.1".
Sexy 101.1 lasted until Headliner Broadcasting sold the station to EBE Broadcasting, who owned KNAX and KFRE-AM. The new owners changed the format of KSXY to country. They heralded the format change by playing nothing but Garth Brooks music under the "101.1 K-Garth" name. After that stunt had run its course, "Froggy Country 101.1" KRBT took over the frequency. Froggy Country was a satellite format and did not make much of a ratings impact in the Fresno market.
When the station was sold to Infinity Broadcasting, owners of KSKS, the format was changed to a Modern A/C format with the nickname of "Star 101". The callsign was changed to KVSR at that time. Star 101 was successful until KTHT changed format to "Alice
KALZ
KALZ is a commercial radio station located in Fowler, California, broadcasting to the Fresno, California, area. KALZ airs a hot adult contemporary music format. Initially, the station broadcast on 102.7 MHz from 1998 to early 2006...
", which gave them some competition. Both stations competed with the format until Star 101 threw in the towel, becoming Y 101 sometime in 2002. As Y-101, they fired most of their air staff and began a new on-air campaign changing to a top 40 format and branding themselves as y101 #1 for all the hits, hiring a whole new staff of DJ's and starting a new morning show called y101 Morning Zoo.
On December 13, 2006 new owners Peak Broadcasting pulled the plug on KWYE's Top 40 format for Adult Contemporary, billing themselves as the place for "Today's Hits, Yesterday Favorites." The reason for this might have to do with Fresno/Hanford/Visalia radio market already being saturated with two other Top 40s, Rhythmic rivals KBOS and KSEQ
KSEQ
KSEQ is a commercial radio station located in Visalia, California, broadcasting to the Fresno, California, area on 97.1 FM. KSEQ airs a rhythmic Top 40 music format branded as "Q97".-History:...
. Although KWYE maintained good ratings in the market, it wasn't enough to overtake the Rhythmics, especially in a market with a large Hispanic
Hispanic
Hispanic is a term that originally denoted a relationship to Hispania, which is to say the Iberian Peninsula: Andorra, Gibraltar, Portugal and Spain. During the Modern Era, Hispanic sometimes takes on a more limited meaning, particularly in the United States, where the term means a person of ...
population.
Recently, KWYE has tweaked its format to include more current hits, dropping the hits from the 70's from their playlist, and changing their slogan to "80's, 90's, Now." In Mid-April 2009, KWYE segued into a Modern AC format, and once again appears to be challenging crosstown rival KALZ (the aforementioned Alice).